OCALA, Fla. – Wesley Snipes was released on $1 million bond after pleading not guilty to federal charges including falsely claiming millions of dollars in tax refunds two months after he was indicted in central Florida.
The actor, known for films such as the “Blade” trilogy, didn’t speak at a court appearance in Ocala on Friday. He went there after arriving in Orlando on a private jet from the African nation of Namibia, where he was filming “Gallow Walker,” his publicist said.
“I look forward to clearing my name and resolving this issue posthaste,” Snipes said after the hearing. He didn’t comment further.
Snipes, 44, was charged in October with fraudulently claiming refunds totaling nearly $12 million in 1996 and 1997 on income taxes already paid. He was also charged with failure to file returns from 1999 through 2004. If convicted, he faces up to 16 years in prison.
He will be allowed to return to Namibia to finish the film, but he must return to his home in Marina del Rey, Calif., by Jan. 10, U.S. Magistrate Gary Jones ruled.
According to the indictment, Snipes had his taxes prepared by accountants with a history of filing false returns to reap payments for their clients. The firm American Rights Litigators would receive 20 percent of refunds from clients, according to the indictment.
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